Smoked chicken tartlets

Serves: 4

Time to make: 1 hr 30 mins

Ingredients

More weights & measures

oil for greasing the tins

225g plain flourall purpose flourX, plus a little for rolling

pinch salt

115g reduced-fat spread (I used Logical lite)

2 teaspoons oil

2 spring onions, sliced

½ red onion, diced

4 whole sweet peppersbell peppersX, chopped (see Fantastic Finds)

150g smoked chicken, diced

2 eggs

½ teaspoon mixed dried herbs

½ cup milk

1 cup grated edam cheese

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Instructions

Stay Awake

1 You can make these tasty tarts in one large flan dish instead of the individual ones, but you will need to increase the cooking time by 10-15 minutes.

2 You will need 4 x 12cm tins or 1 x 24cm tin. Loose-bottomed flan dishes are a good buy for making these types of flans.

3 Preheat the oven to 190°C. Lightly grease the tins.

4 Sift the flour and salt into a bowl and make the pastry by rubbing in the reduced-fat spread to form breadcrumbs. Stir in enough water to make a soft dough – this is about 3 tablespoons. Bring the dough together with your hands and knead for a few minutes on a lightly floured surface. Divide the pastry into 4 even-sized pieces. Roll out each piece of pastry slightly larger than the tins. Use the pastry to line each tin, gently pressing the pastry against the side of the tin so there are no gaps between pastry and tin. Trim any overhanging pastry away using a sharp knife to leave a neat edge, and discard the leftovers. Chill in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes to rest the pastry. This helps to minimize shrinkage during baking. Bake blind (see below) for 15 minutes. Remove the beans. This is now ready for the filling.

5 Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Heat the oil in a pan and soften the onions. Add the peppers and cook for a further few minutes. Add the chicken and cook for a final 3-4 minutes.

6 Divide the mixture between the cases and press down slightly. Mix the eggs together with the milk. Season with herbs, salt and pepper and pour over the chicken and vegetables. The liquid should stop just below the pastry line.

7 Sprinkle with the cheese and cook for 25 minutes until golden brown, firm to touch and lightly puffed up. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from the tins.

8 Serve with a tossed green salad.

Variations

This is delicious with Cotterill and Rouse sun-dried tomatoes used instead of some of the onions. You will find there is a little pastry left over as it is easier to work with more pastry as a beginner. Discard the leftovers.

HFG tip

Baking blind

When a recipe tells you to ‘bake blind’, it means bake or partially bake the pastry case without its filling. This prevents a soggy pastry base. Prick the base of the pastry with a fork and line with a large piece of greaseproof paper. Fill with ceramic baking beans or dried beans or rice. Bake at the suggested temperature for 10-15 minutes or until the case looks set. Remove the paper and beans and bake for a further 5 minutes until the base is firm and lightly coloured, for a partially cooked case. For complete baking, cook for a further 10-15 minutes until crisp and golden.

Nutrition Info (per serve)

Calories 489 cal

Kilojoules 2045 kJ

Protein 24.7 g

Total fat 29.3 g

Saturated fat 10.1 g

Carbohydrates 31.8 g

Sugar 4.8 g

Dietary fibre 2.5 g

Sodium 725 mg

Calcium 390 mg

Iron 1.4 mg

Note: This nutrition analysis is a guide only. Nutrition composition will vary depending on the exact ingredients used. See our guides on your optimal daily nutrition intake, and supermarket shopping.